Identity – Page 2 – Melissa Schlies

Learn: How to Tell If You’ve Found Your Calling

Traditionally, I am not a big hat person. So when we went to Ireland for vacation this year, the last thing I ever expected to buy was a hat. Maybe a new pair of gloves or a wool blanket—but not a hat. Only, that is what happened. One morning, on our way to Dingle, Tony and I stopped in the charming thatched roof town of Adare. I needed a cup of coffee, and it was a good place to take a break from driving. We found a parking spot, and then a cup of cappuccino for me, before moseying [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-11-01T14:38:23+00:00November 1st, 2018|Categories: Calling, Identity, Lead, Leadership, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Making Decisions, Uncategorized|Comments Off

All That You Are

"Who were you before anybody told you who you were?” --Jo Saxton, The Dream of You When was the last time someone asked you, “Who are you?” The chances that it has been recent or often, my guess is slim. Because usually, when we first meet someone, we ask them, “What do you do?” Or, if we’re vacationing abroad like we were a month ago, and we meet fellow travelers, we ask, “Where are you from?” Very rarely do we try to learn another’s entire identity in one meeting. Rather, we start with an aspect we are most comfortable asking [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-10-08T15:11:57+00:00October 1st, 2018|Categories: Calling, Identity, Purpose, Story, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Remembering Who We Are

When I was nineteen, I took sixteen teenagers for a four day camping retreat up in the mountains of New Hampshire. To be clear, there were other adults on the trip, but I was in charge. How a church and all these kids’ parents were ok with it, I will never know. Yet, the whole trip proved to be life-defining for me. Ironically, even as a church trusted me with the majority of its youth group, at that time I was still doubting my call to ministry. I had been told by some pretty influential people in my life that [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-08-08T14:07:12+00:00August 13th, 2018|Categories: Identity, Life Coaching, Purpose, Uncategorized|4 Comments

Love Learn Lead April 19, 2018

Hello Friends. We have made it past the middle of April. Hopefully, wherever you are, there are promising signs of spring—and not more rain than necessary. This weekend, Tony and I are gearing up for a trip to the Finger Lakes, in New York, with our closest friends. A few snow storms earlier this month, made winter feel that much longer and we are ready to get out of town. We are praying for good weather, but know that whatever we get we are going to make the most of the weekend. I hope that no matter your weekend plans, [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-07-11T00:42:22+00:00April 19th, 2018|Categories: Good Books, Identity, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, perseverance, Uncategorized|Comments Off

When Our Story Is Too Small

When I was a kid, I was always telling stories. I had a BIG imagination. With my friends or sisters, we’d create these elaborate, imaginary places for us to live. Then we’d create some sort of conflict or drama to work through together. Whether imagining life on a ranch (I loved horses), or as singing and dancing pop stars, we were never bored. Oh, what childhood looked like before technology. But the interested thing about our imagination, is that it doesn’t leave us when we become adults. We just seem to use it for different things. Sadly, it’s often the [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-07-16T21:17:26+00:00March 26th, 2018|Categories: Courage, Fear, Hope, Identity, Story, Success, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Leaving Home

Out of all the relationships we have in our life, our family ones are typically the strongest. For good or bad, they are the people who have the power to impact our lives the most. After all, they are the first people to tell us where to be strong and when to be afraid. To tell us whether the world is a friendly or fearful place. More than anything though, They are the first people to tell us who we are. Only at some point, we have to learn all of these things for ourselves. We have to take what [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-07-17T00:53:19+00:00February 26th, 2018|Categories: Character, Courage, Fear, Freedom, Identity, Relationships|6 Comments

If The Shoe Fits

Before I officially begin today’s post, I have to confess I have never been super into fashion. Through most of high school, I wore big baggy shirts with jeans. In college, I wasn’t much better. And makeup, until my mid-twenties, was always touch and go. I have always believed that what is most important about a person is what is on the inside. But recently, a podcast I listened to got me thinking about the importance of what we wear, so here we go: The guest on the episode I was listening to that day, was a personal stylist. During [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-07-17T01:16:39+00:00January 29th, 2018|Categories: Character, Courage, Faith, Identity, Success|Comments Off

When Your Name Isn’t On The List

At the end of eighth grade, I tried out for the high school football cheerleading squad. Wearing an oversized t-shirt and gym shorts, I lined up with my friends and the other girls trying out. For three or four afternoons after school, I learned what a Herkie was and sort of how to do one. I was taught to clap a certain way, how to belt out cheers, and to smile constantly. And at the end of the week, I performed a cheer in front of three judges to show them I had what it took to be a cheerleader. [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-07-18T00:43:13+00:00November 20th, 2017|Categories: Acceptance, Failure, Identity, Success|Comments Off

In Search of the Perfect Picture

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” —John Lennon More than any other social media, Instagram is to blame for any amount of time I waste in my life. Ok, any wasted time is my fault—but Instagram is usually the cause. Photo’s of my friend’s adventures or Insta-stories of people living in cool places (check out @GirlinFlorence if you want a fabulous taste of Italy)—all of it, sucks me in. Almost daily I find myself mindlessly scrolling through photo’s I have already seen, and I have to tell myself to put the phone down. Beautiful [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-07-18T00:49:38+00:00November 6th, 2017|Categories: Courage, Hope, Identity, perseverance, Purpose, Success|Comments Off

Learn: How I Survived the Death of a Dream

When a dream dies, we can feel like failures. In some situations, there is a sting of rejection that is paralyzing. Add all of this to our broken hearts, and it can feel as if the world is ending. Only, it isn’t. And though everything seems to be screaming to us otherwise, our lives aren’t ending either. We must keep going in the midst of sometimes, unimaginable pain. We need to figure out a way to keep on living that involves more than binging on Netflix and eating carbs—but how? A little over five years ago, one of my dreams [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2018-07-19T15:51:58+00:00June 1st, 2017|Categories: Failure, grief, Hope, Identity, Learn, Love Learn Lead, perseverance|Comments Off

Learn: How to Tell If You’ve Found Your Calling

All That You Are

Remembering Who We Are

Love Learn Lead April 19, 2018

When Our Story Is Too Small

Leaving Home

If The Shoe Fits

When Your Name Isn’t On The List

In Search of the Perfect Picture

Learn: How I Survived the Death of a Dream

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